"Sensitive and responsive parent-child relationships also are associated with stronger cognitive skills in young children and enhanced social competence and work skills later in school, which illustrates the connection between social/emotional development and intellectual growth."
This was written by
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2004) in a paper called "Young Children Develop in an Environment of Relationships. Working Paper No. 1." It can be retrieved it from http://www.developingchild.net
This quote is important to me because it is at the crux of my passion for early childhood care and education. The social competence is even more important than the cognitive skills to me because my brother grew up from very young with a mental health problem despite a lack of trauma or neglect. I still think it is possible to prevent or lessen the effect of a child's tendency towards a mental health problem. I am happy to say that after many years of being homeless, my brother at about age 35 became a part of his family again and although jobless and on mental health disability payments was able to contribute to the households of several of my brothers and is one of the more regular visitors of my mom in California. There is always hope.
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